Employment Roundtable

This article is part of the Center for Media & Democracy's spotlight on front groups and corporate spin.

Founded in September 1999, the Employment Roundtable says its purpose is "to study, act on and impact trends and information regarding the optimal employment of the U.S. labor force for mutual benefit and the common good." In 2001, the group's website stated that it met every six weeks in Manhattan.[1]

The roundtable's webpage was first indexed by the Internet Archive on July 6, 2001 and last indexed on August 22, 2004. The original webpage is no longer active, so it appears the roundtable is no longer active.

One of its founding members is John T. Schuessler, former CEO of Wendy's. The Employment Roundtable includes various labor attorneys, human resources executives and CEO's. A list of their members was located on the website.[2] Restaurant industry lobbyist Rick Berman, who sponsors a number of anti-environmental, anti-food safety and anti-minimum wage front groups, is also affiliated with the group, as is Richard Rivera, former CEO of Red Lobster (under Darden Restaurants).[citation needed]

The Employment Roundtable is described as "one of Berman's groups" in a Nation's Restaurant News article published on September 18, 2000. It is unclear what the group's main activities are. Berman is quoted in a few articles on behalf of the group speaking out against employer-funded health insurance.[citation needed]